Content, Community, Engagement, Influence, Milk Duds

October 21, 2011 By Dave Leave a Comment

We’re out to prove a point with today’s post: Content, Community, Engagement and Influence are overused terms.

Photo by vox_efx - Used with CC License

If you think about it, saying that your company or your department needs a “Content Strategy” makes lots of sense. Since everyone is talking about Content, you should be talking about Content, too. (Content with a capital “C,” of course.)

“XYZ Company will use Content to Build Community, Drive Engagement and reach out to Key Influencers.”

Congratulations, that will be $5000. (Actually - we charge $5000 a day for sessions with companies to help them better market their products and services. If this was the result of the day-long session, you’d get your money back.)

If it were that gosh-darn easy to put together a Fill In The Blank Strategy for your company, everyone would be doing it, and you’d see literally thousands of companies out there making things happen with Content, Community, Engagement and Influence. But it’s not, and here’s why:

Developing a Strategy for ANYTHING without an Eye Toward Business Objectives is a Recipe for Disaster.

Your Content Strategy? Guess what, if you’re putting out white paper after white paper, writing countless press releases (or, preferably, using PitchEngine), and doing corporate videos interviewing key executives, there’s your Content. But it’s not your Content Strategy, it’s your Content Tactics.

Building Community is Great! We’re seriously all for it here at Area 224 – yes, we’re building a community around 12 Minute Marketing, and yes there will be more information on that in the days to come. But that community needs a common thread – not just an idea to “build a community.”

The Brand Builder, Olivier Blanchard, has a great piece on Social Media and Social Business Myths. Read them all, but #1 is the one we’ll point you to.

If you’re building a Community around your Awesome Product…Make Sure Your Product is Awesome FIRST.

Engagement is even more puzzling these days. Scott Stratten wrote a book last year called UnMarketing and the subtitle was “Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.” So, magically, everyone did! They stopped Marketing! And they started Engaging! (If you can’t sense the sarcasm there, take a look at my Twitter background. My eldest child asked me the other night “why is there a unicorn on your Twitter background?” For reasons like this, my dear.)

Actually, the story in the UnMarketing book about the guy at the Wynn who stopped his carpet cleaning duties to give a genuinely friendly greeting to Scott and get him to return? Uh, that’s engaging. In that they guy likes what he does, likes people, and genuinely wanted them to enjoy their stay.

Segueing to Influence in 3…2…1…

Does it matter that Scott is an Influencer? Not one iota – and that’s probably the biggest pain in the a** about this whole Content, Community, Engagement, Influence discussion:

Your Own Potential to Influence in Your Business Trumps That of Any External Influencer.

You’re passionate about something. That something gets shown somewhere in your business – now the potential to Influence comes through. Right? Does It?

We’re not going to claim to have all the answers here – we think we’ve built a dynamite Business Marketing and Coaching Course called 12 Minute Marketing, but there’s no way that our course, or any other course out there, is going to do you a bit of good unless you, frankly, give a crap about your business.

So…what’s the point behind the Milk Duds?

There’s a restaurant in Chicago called Lou Mitchell’s. They give out Milk Duds when you leave, after you pay the check. It’s a nice touch.

The Milk Duds are not their Content Strategy. The Milk Duds might help them build Community. The Milk Duds could make them ace a test on Engagement. And hey, Influencers LOVE Milk Duds, right?

It’s the food, the atmosphere, the ambience, the kitsch, all that stuff rolled into a bucket. That’s their Business Strategy.

Avoid the Buzzword Bingo and Focus on Making a Real Difference, on Real Passion.

Go!

Filed Under: 12 Minutes, Influencers

3 Ways Martha Stewart Can Change Your Marketing Life

August 3, 2011 By Dave Leave a Comment

Happy August 3. Did you know it’s Martha Stewart’s 70th Birthday? What Does that have to do with Marketing?

Thanks to freakgirl for the photo, used under cc license

To celebrate Martha’s Birthday, how bout borrowing from her playbook? Here are three quick ways you can make things happen with your business – using a few “Good Things” as inspiration.

Martha Loves Editorial Calendars

Open up any one of Martha Stewart’s magazines and you’re bound to find a calendar of some sort. And her calendars are not just covering the minutiae of her life – “water plants” on Friday the 5th – but giving you hints as to what is going on in the outside world.

So you know, for instance, that Labor Day is coming up in early September. This helps you plan ahead with things that might need your attention now.

When was the last time you looked three weeks, or three months out to see what was happening with your business, your industry?

Martha Thinks “Omnimedia”

Remember how crazy an idea it was to name her firm “Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia?” Even back before Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, Martha was everywhere. Magazines, books, web sites, a store where you can buy stuff with her imprimatur.

Seemed novel back then – taking pictures of a video shoot so you can use that information in your own magazine?

Seems rather brilliant now.

Martha was probably one of the first pioneers of the Content Revolution. Leverage. And leverage some more.

Martha Doesn’t Quit

Comeback after comeback, Martha Stewart does not let up. Sure, there may be less of a focus on her personal brand than there used to be – but the empire is still going strong.

Of course, she is very good at what she does – living the good life, home economics, celebrating the Good Things, some combination of that.

She no doubt had a vision of success and keeps moving toward that vision. She made course corrections along the way, pulled the plug on things that weren’t working well, and kept moving forward on things that were working well.

And she shows no signs of slowing down.

What can you learn from Martha Stewart? Keep these three ideas in mind – and, with a little talent and a little luck, you’ve got a chance at going pretty far.

Filed Under: Influencers

Social Media Hall Of Fame

January 6, 2011 By Dave 1 Comment

Yes, there will be one. Are you worthy of election?

Thanks, ChrisL_AK on Flickr

An annual rite of January, the Baseball Hall of Fame Election, got us thinking – when there’s a Social Media Hall Of Fame, who will get in? Where will the Hall be built? What will the induction ceremony look like?

Some Thoughts:

1. The Social Media Hall Of Fame will be reserved for those retired from Social Media. Like the Baseball Hall of Fame, where you have to be retired from the game for five years, it doesn’t make sense to put people in who are still active.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame does this a little differently, electing people and bands after they’ve been in the business for 20 years. It’s also in Cleveland, which, we’re told, rocks. Bringing us to point two…where?

2. The Social Media Hall Of Fame will be located in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Why? Social Media Hall Of Fame induction should really center around the authentic. Those who are truly authentic focus on the Truth or face the Consequences.

Plus: Truth or Consequences was a game show, and Bob Barker was the host.

3. The Social Media Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony. Unlike the People’s Choice Awards or the MTV Music Awards, the Social Media Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony must include things like Bacon, Slime (from Nickelodeon), and maybe a really schmaltzy host. Not Steve Harvey, but possibly Wink Martindale.

Is this beginning to sound like a really bad idea?

Ah, there’s the point of this post: we all want recognition for our efforts. We all want to get there honestly. We all want, maybe, an occasional star-studded event.

But yesterday’s election of two Hall of Famers – Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven – may have taught us a little something about the craft. The love of the game. Living in the moment.

Are we waiting days, months, years for the recognition we truly deserve?

We may keep waiting – especially in this modern world of craziness.

Danny Brown talked on his site about longevity at the workplace, and how the Japanese have companies that have been around for decades.

There won’t be a Social Media Hall Of Fame.

There will be little victories – in business, in life. You may throw 120 pitches one game, you may get shelled in the first inning of the next.

Don’t keep waiting for your induction. And don’t focus too too much on “Social Media” or getting into a “Hall Of Fame.”

Just go do stuff that’s cool. Enjoy the climb.

We’re off our soapbox.

Filed Under: brand communications, Buzzwords, Holistic Social Media, Influencers Tagged With: Hall of Fame

Learn from the Big Boys – Connections R Us

January 5, 2011 By Dave Leave a Comment

Thanks, watradehub.com
Want to be a real, live, in-the-flesh Social Media Marketer Extraordinaire? Start with these steps. Seriously.

The Daily Dose of Advice comes from Scott Stratten, UnMarketing himself.

“Reminder to take 5 minutes to reply to others today. Engage. Interact. Build.”

But how, really, truly, do you DO that? And can you invest only 5 minutes and make connections?

Well, yes. And no. We went with 10 minutes, you may want 15 or 20 or 30. But 2011 is all about small steps toward big things. So here goes.

1. Set the e.ggtimer. We said that you can learn from the big boys here, and there’s no bigger boy in the world of lifestyle redesign than Tim Ferriss. He’s the guy who first tipped us onto the timer. It is awesome for two reasons: (1) simplicity and (2) keeping you on task. We recommend you set it for 10 Minutes.

2. Begin surfing. We recommend you do this BEFORE looking at emails but AFTER getting your daily fix of Facebook and Twitter. Why? You want to get some mental cues from what you’ve seen on those sites – but you don’t want to make this reliant on what work is clogging your inbox.

Huh? Well, there are folks we are friends with on Facebook and connected with on Twitter who aren’t world famous. That’s part of the mission here. Learn from the Big Boys, but connect with the others, too.

3. Comment if you have something to add. We hit up a couple sites upon the recommendations of friends and contacts. On Quora, which is getting a tremendous amount of buzz, we had, well, nothing to add. Yet. But the standout site from Danny Brown got us thinking. And commenting.

4. Keep track. Chris Brogan recommends a spreadsheet or a Google Doc or a CRM program. Awesome.

Is that it?

Well, this should be part of a daily ritual. ESPECIALLY if you want to make real connections with real people.

Filed Under: blogging, brand communications, Influencers, LinkedIn, PR, smm, Social Trends Tagged With: connections

A Tweak for Knob Creek

December 2, 2010 By Dave 8 Comments

A survey, of whiskey drinkers, on LinkedIn.

We are not sure this is the best use of brand dollars by Knob Creek.

With all due respect…this is just not focused. It’s the opposite of Nichification. Don’t despair, whiskey drinker…We’ll give some advice below.

First, the background:

Visiting LinkedIn, and someone in our network, who is in the SEO space and appears to be a rather smart cookie, had the ad you see over there right below all of the “Send a Message,” “See Profile” options.

And this jumped out at us.

What’s wrong with it?

Well, first of all, truth be told, we’re not against the marketing of alcoholic beverages. And we’ll assume that LinkedIn has a filter of some sort that only shows this particular ad to people who are above 21 years of age.

Once you get past that…Is LinkedIn really the place to ask questions about whiskey?

You’re on LinkedIn for professional connections. Professional networking. So, when I’m seeing what one of the smarter SEO people in the planet is up to lately – am I even in the mood to talk whiskey?

Beyond that…this is a poorly worded Poll.

They’re asking two questions. The first one asks if I’m a fan. What if I’m not? What if I’ve never tried the stuff? What if I don’t know the difference between Knob Creek and Boon’s Farm?

What if I don’t know the difference between “complex flavor” and “full-flavored?”

Since Area 224 is looking out for you, brand marketers, we’re not just going to raise a problem – we’re going to propose a SOLUTION.

In three steps.

Step 1 – Scrap the poll.

I’m not inclined to vote for or against alcohol when I’m on LinkedIn. I’m treating LinkedIn like a combination of Twitter and Google – I want to see what my network is up to professionally, but I’m also searching for something or someone.

Step 2 – Buy a bunch of laser-focused keyword ads.

You can spend just as much if you know what you are doing. If you don’t know what you are doing, find someone who does and get them to buy the ads for you.

Step 3 – Reach out to a bunch of bloggers and see if they want to try your stuff.

Turn them loose – let them comment on the full-flavor, or the fine craftsmanship, or the fact that they can really taste the aging. Or not.

You can invest probably a couple grand, watch what gets said, and get so many more insights than you’d get from the LinkedIn poll.

You’re welcome.

Filed Under: brand communications, Influencers, LinkedIn, Martini Glass, Nichification Tagged With: Nichification

Content, Community, Engagement, Influence, Milk Duds

Developing a Strategy for ANYTHING without an Eye Toward Business Objectives is a Recipe for Disaster.

If you’re building a Community around your Awesome Product…Make Sure Your Product is Awesome FIRST.

Your Own Potential to Influence in Your Business Trumps That of Any External Influencer.

Go!

3 Ways Martha Stewart Can Change Your Marketing Life

Martha Loves Editorial Calendars

Martha Thinks “Omnimedia”

Martha Doesn’t Quit

A Tweak for Knob Creek

A survey, of whiskey drinkers, on LinkedIn.

First, the background:

What’s wrong with it?

Once you get past that…Is LinkedIn really the place to ask questions about whiskey?

Beyond that…this is a poorly worded Poll.

Since Area 224 is looking out for you, brand marketers, we’re not just going to raise a problem – we’re going to propose a SOLUTION.

Step 1 – Scrap the poll.

Step 2 – Buy a bunch of laser-focused keyword ads.

Step 3 – Reach out to a bunch of bloggers and see if they want to try your stuff.

You’re welcome.

About Area 224

Connect with Area 224

12 Minute Marketing Special Offer

Recommended Resources

Post Categories

Content, Community, Engagement, Influence, Milk Duds

Developing a Strategy for ANYTHING without an Eye Toward Business Objectives is a Recipe for Disaster.

If you’re building a Community around your Awesome Product…Make Sure Your Product is Awesome FIRST.

Your Own Potential to Influence in Your Business Trumps That of Any External Influencer.

Go!

3 Ways Martha Stewart Can Change Your Marketing Life

Martha Loves Editorial Calendars

Martha Thinks “Omnimedia”

Martha Doesn’t Quit

Social Media Hall Of Fame

Yes, there will be one. Are you worthy of election?

Some Thoughts:

Is this beginning to sound like a really bad idea?

Learn from the Big Boys – Connections R Us

Thanks, watradehub.comWant to be a real, live, in-the-flesh Social Media Marketer Extraordinaire? Start with these steps. Seriously.

You’re Doing It Wrong…

Thanks to the inimitable Saul Colt for the inspiration here.

A Tweak for Knob Creek

A survey, of whiskey drinkers, on LinkedIn.

First, the background:

What’s wrong with it?

Once you get past that…Is LinkedIn really the place to ask questions about whiskey?

Beyond that…this is a poorly worded Poll.

Since Area 224 is looking out for you, brand marketers, we’re not just going to raise a problem – we’re going to propose a SOLUTION.

Step 1 – Scrap the poll.

Step 2 – Buy a bunch of laser-focused keyword ads.

Step 3 – Reach out to a bunch of bloggers and see if they want to try your stuff.

You’re welcome.

About Area 224

Connect with Area 224

12 Minute Marketing Special Offer

Recommended Resources

Post Categories

Thanks, watradehub.com
Want to be a real, live, in-the-flesh Social Media Marketer Extraordinaire? Start with these steps. Seriously.